Page 33 of Caught in the Crossfire

“Fix their mess because I don’t want Elliott Construction blamed for the lousy work, then report the issues to Brian.” Mason glanced at his watch. “I’m not sure I’ll have time to talk to the boss before I need to leave today.”

“Doing something with Nicole?”

“Keeping her safe. Linc Creed is watching her and Dawn until I’m off.”

Dean’s eyebrows knitted. “What’s going on?” When Mason finished his explanation, his friend dragged a hand down his face. “Good grief, Mase. Kelter and the police chief think you’re guilty of murder and assault?”

His gut twisted at the thought. “They labeled me a person of interest.”

“Do yourself a favor, buddy. Make sure you can account for every minute of your time from now on until they unmask the real killer. Otherwise, you may find yourself behind bars again. Plenty of people in town will point a finger at you.”

Mason sighed. “The same people who refuse to let me inside their homes without someone else from Elliott Construction to make sure I don’t steal the silver or family jewels.”

“They’re wrong about you.”

He eyed his friend. “How do you know? Maybe I’ve snowed you like I have every other citizen in Otter Creek.”

Sadness filled Dean’s eyes. “I’ve met the worst of mankind. You aren’t anything like them.”

“Need to get something off your chest?” Mason had suspected for several months that Dean had a difficult past. Although he’d offered to listen before, his friend had never taken him up on the invitation. Would he this time?

The other man shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. Those people are in the past.”

His face, drained of color, hinted that he couldn’t talk about his background, that perhaps he’d slipped and told too much. Good enough for Mason. He was familiar with operatives who couldn’t talk about their work. “If you change your mind, I know how to keep secrets.” He smiled. “It’s a necessity in my family.”

That brought a short laugh. “I’ll bet.”

“Come on. Let’s go to the next unit. I’m guessing we have more mistakes to fix and we’re running short on time.”

By the end of the workday, Mason and Dean had finished their punch lists as well as repaired or completed tasks that should have been done already.

Mason gave a brief verbal report to his boss about the shoddy workmanship and handed over the lists he and Dean had completed during the day.

Brian scowled. “Are you sure it was Patton and Fisher?”

He nodded. “Dean and I noted every task we either had to do from scratch or repair. Check the paper trail to confirm the responsible parties.”

His boss rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll check into it after Manning’s visit tomorrow. In the meantime, keep an eye out for anything that should have been finished and isn’t. Don’t go out of your way, Mason, but if you see evidence of a problem, I want to know about it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Brian waved him on. “Go. I know you’re worried about Nicole. I need you on site tomorrow morning by six.”

“I’ll be here.” With a vat full of coffee. Man, he was tired. How would he be able to stay awake to protect Nicole? With a wave, he climbed into his truck and drove toward town.

When he passed the Otter Creek B & B on the outskirts of town, he glanced at the man exiting a luxury SUV. Mason’s breath caught when the stranger turned enough for him to see his face.

A ball of ice formed in his stomach. No, not now. Not when things were chaotic and he was under suspicion for another crime, this one he hadn’t committed. The timing couldn’t be worse.

Although he was tempted to turn around and confront the man, Mason continued into town. Nicole was his priority. His past could wait. Hands gripping the wheel, he vowed to track the other man down and find out what he was doing in town. Mason had served his time, and he wouldn’t allow his past to hurt Nicole.

CHAPTER TEN

Nicole blew an escaped strand of hair out of her eyes and slipped the perky red collar back on Violet, the Australian Shepherd. “You are one beautiful girl, Violet. Your mom will be so happy to see you, especially now that you don’t smell like a skunk.”

“The new de-skunking shampoo is amazing.” Dawn glanced up with a smile as she swept the last of the dog hair into a large dust pan and dumped the contents into the trash. “How many times has Violet been up close and personal with a skunk?”

“The score is five to zero. The skunks have won every skirmish.”

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